Eight of Seven
by Kage NoTenshi
Summary: They found him with an X carved onto his chest, left to die of blood loss.
1. Bloody Bakura

This started with a scrap of paper and too much time. Sadly, I now barely remember what it was like to have that much time. In any case, I know the title doesn't make much sense right now, but it will. 

Disclaimer: My friends believe that Kajiki's father is dead, drowned in that tragic storm. But as long as Kajiki believes, so will I! *bright lights, triumphant music* Unfortunately, the odds of him finding his father are even better than the odds of me getting my hands on the Yu-Gi-Oh characters… *lights fade, sad violin music*

"No way! What happened to him?"

"Is he alive?"

"Unghh…I hate blood…"

The voices were raised in worry, but Bakura heard none of this. He had left agony behind for now, or he would have been painfully aware of the X-like slashes that crossed his chest.

"He's lucky we found him"

"Yeah. The ambulance is on its way."

"Good." Yuugi studied the limp form supported in Jounouchi's arms. The whole gang had agreed to meet for dinner at Yuugi's place two days before. Everyone had shown up punctually-except for Bakura. After an hour, dinner was cold and everyone was worried. After an hour and a half, they decided to go and look for him. That was how Honda had found him, lying on his back in an alleyway: his face pallid and his trademark sweater soaked in blood. 

_/What happened, Aibou?/_

_\I don't know,\_ responded Yuugi mentally.

_/Let me see./_

\Okay.\

Yuugi transformed quietly that time. Yami surveyed the scene silently, trying to catch any clues of what might have occurred. Nothing stood out as he tried to sense any traces of power. Suddenly, it hit him that that was what seemed so strange. He could not detect at all the Sennen ring. He knelt abruptly by Bakura and placed his hand on his chest, carefully avoiding the wound. The ring wasn't there.

Fear rising within him, he scanned the area in the dimming light. If someone should have taken such a powerful item… Then he saw it. It lay by the wall, its cord cut into several pieces. He walked over and carefully picked it up. It remained cold and silent, not giving any clues to what had happened. 

The ambulance arrived, siren shrieking in the evening stillness. The friends watched as the emergency personnel loaded Bakura into the back and drove off. Malik went with them, as there wasn't enough room for everyone and he had at least been a close friend of Bakura's Yami. The rest of them caught the bus and arrived a little later. 

"They're giving him blood, and he'll have to get a ton of stitches," Malik told them when they got there. "They think he'll pull through."

"Only think?" gulped Anzu.

Malik shrugged, not his usual indifferent motion, but a gesture of helplessness. "He…he'd better make it."

"Is he awake?" asked Honda.

"Not yet. At least nothing vital was really damaged. It's mostly blood loss."

"I hope he'll be okay," said Jounouchi.

"Yeah."

Anzu sat down suddenly on one of the nearby seats as the tears slid down her face, leaving two shining trails from her eyes. "This is just so awful!" she sobbed. "Why would anyone want to hurt Bakura? I mean, why would anyone do something like…like _that_ and just leave him lying in an alley?"

Yuugi sat down beside her and put a hand on her arm. "I don't know, but he'll pull through."

"Yeah," said Jounouchi smiling. "That's right. Bakura's made it through a lot before, and he'll do it again."

Anzu brushed the back of her hand across her eyes. "Thanks, guys."

"And if not, we'll have a lovely funeral for him with lots of impromptu eulogies."

"That's right," put in Honda, "and whoever hurt Bakura, we're gonna kick his-"

"THANK YOU, guys. That's enough."

"Hey, where'd Yuugi go? He was just here."

R&R


	2. Important Words

Unnoticed by all, Yuugi had slipped into Bakura's room. His friend lay comatose on the hospital bed with only a dim light from overhead. It was quiet except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor. That was one good thing: the beats had evened out to a normal rhythm. "Bakura," he whispered, even though he knew his friend couldn't hear him, "something's happening, I can feel it. There's power somewhere, and it's extremely strong. It's coming, Bakura, so you gotta pull through to stand by us. We'll need all the help we can get."

"Hey! Yuugi!"

Yuugi turned to see Jounouchi standing in the doorway. 

"That's where you went. We were wondering. Whatcha doin'?"

Yuugi blinked. "Jou-Jounouchi? Wha-? How'd I get here?"

"It's okay," said his friend with an understanding smile. "It's been a chaotic evening. Hey, let's go back to your house. Dinner's still waiting."

"You would remember something like that."

"Of course. Come on."

As they left, Yuugi stopped at the doorway and looked back one last time. He had the feeling he had been there for an important reason, but he remembered nothing after comforting Anzu. And his Yami had retreated to his soul room and locked the door.

*

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for some lunch or something?" asked Seto the next day as Yuugi prepared to leave. They had been meeting at least once a week to duel just for fun and to keep their strategies sharp. With nothing at stake, they were able to have fun and take their losses and victories without hard feelings. They were equally matched by now, sometimes with one winning and sometimes the other. Always, they walked away still friends.

Yuugi smiled. "Thanks. I can't though. I have to go to the hospital."

Seto looked surprised. "Why the hospital? Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine, but something happened to Bakura last night. We're gonna go visit him today. You're welcome to come along if you want."

"Can we go, Niisama?" asked Mokuba.

"May as well."

"Okay."


	3. Blank Mind

"What is _he_ doing here?" asked Jounouchi accusingly when they arrived.

"Seto wanted to come along and make sure Bakura's doing fine," answered Yuugi.

"Right. Whatever. Let's go."

Bakura was awake when they walked in, although he couldn't sit up on his own yet. "It hurts to lean forward," he explained softly. 

"How many stitches did you get?" asked Mokuba, wide-eyed.

"Lots," said Bakura with a smile. "I forget the exact number."

"Tell me about it," snorted Malik.

"Hey, Bakura," said Yuugi suddenly, "do you feel a little drained, by any chance?"

Bakura looked surprised. "Now that you mention it, yes. But how did you know?"

"He's lost a lot of blood," put in Malik irritably.

Yuugi blinked and ignored the comment. "I…I don't know, really. I think it has something to do with your Sennen ring."

"That's right! I don't have it!"

"Here." Yuugi handed it to him. "I picked it up last night, I think. Sorry about the cord. I found it like that."

"That's okay. I can get another one any time." Ryou took it, but it slipped from his fingers.

"You must be feeling really bad today if you can't even hold the ring," remarked Malik as he bent to retrieve it.

"No, it's not that. It…it just felt different."

"How so?"

Bakura squinted at the object in his hands. "The…"

"The power's gone."

Everyone looked up at Yami's voice. "You're right," murmured Bakura.

Malik paled. "But how could anyone or anything take the power from something like the ring?? It's just not right!"

Yami looked grave. "I know. We're dealing with something perhaps more powerful and more sinister than anything we've come across before. The worst thing is that we have no idea what it is."

The room suddenly seemed very cold and unfriendly. Anzu shivered. "But what about people without power, like me?"

Yami shook his head. "I have a feeling that everyone will be affected."

Seto looked thoughtful. "Bakura…did you, by any chance, see who attacked you last night?"

Bakura closed his eyes, digging back through his memory. "It's hard to say. It's almost like something's blocking my mind sight."

"How about your Yami? Does he remember anything?"

Ryou's face went blank for a little while. Then he snapped back, his eyes darting about in agitation. "His soul room…is…it's empty! I can't find him anywhere. There are papers scattered on the floor, but they're blank. He's nowhere to be found. He didn't even come when I called. He always does, though it's usually with a sharp word or two."


	4. Autographs

The walls seemed to press in on them through the silence that followed. 

"I remember a little, though," said Bakura softly.

All eyes flew to his face.

"I was walking to your house when something grabbed me by the back of the collar all of the sudden. Then next thing I knew, I was on my back in an alley. My Yami came out then, so I don't remember that part well. I saw a little bit through his eyes, though, as they fought."

"Like what?" prodded Seto.

"Cold eyes, dark hair, and something sharp. A blade, I think."

Honda shook his head. "Must be a tough guy to take out your Yami."

Bakura looked a little sad. "I think I'll miss him, believe it or not."

"Your Yami?"

"Yeah." He studied the bed sheets for a while. "Oh, there's something else. Just after I saw the blade, I remember pain."

"Well, duh. You got an X carved into your chest."

"No, not that. I don't remember that pain. It was like a fiery brand all over my body, a blinding sort of pain."

Malik gave a shudder. "Brands? That's harsh."

There was another moment of quiet as everyone tried to deal with their own unpleasant thoughts. "When do you get out of the hospital?" asked Mokuba, kindly changing the subject.

"Later today," said Ryou, brightening.

"That's good."

"Yeah."

Jounouchi glanced at the clock. "Cool. But I've gotta go. I have some chores at home that I skipped out on." He was out the door before Anzu could start lecturing. The others followed a little more slowly, everyone wishing Ryou a speedy recovery. They stepped outside together, the warm sun smiling benevolently down at them. 

"That's still so weird," she mused. "I don't get how anything like that could have happened."

Yuugi nodded. "Me t-"

"YEEEEEEEEEEE!!! ARE YOU MUTOU YUUGI?"

Yuugi nearly fell over backwards as he found himself suddenly staring into the face of a very excited girl. She seemed around his age, about Anzu's size, and at the moment her black eyes were wide with enthusiasm.

Trying to regain his composure, he managed to mumble out, "Ano…yeah…I'm Mutou Yuugi…"

"The kid who won the Duelist Kingdom tournament?" she inquired, almost bouncing in place.

"Yeah…"

"With…" her eyes lit up as she saw the Egyptian artifact around his neck "…THE Sennen puzzle? Is it real?"

Yuugi glanced down at it fondly. "Yeah, it sure is."

She clasped her hands. "That's AMAZING!!"

"Yeah, whatever. What do you want?" Anzu was looking seriously ticked. 

Jounouchi decided he could butt in too. "In case you didn't know, I'm Mutou Yuugi's best friend, AND I won second place in the same tournament!"

The girl smiled. "Not bad, but first is better."

Jounouchi looked a little crestfallen.

"I'll take your autograph too, though," the girl said suddenly, pulling out a pencil and a piece of paper.

All jaws dropped. "AUTOGRAPH??"


	5. A Proper Meal

She shrugged. "Well sure, it's not like you guys aren't famous now."

"I always knew I'd look good on a magazine cover," smirked Jounouchi.

Anzu whacked him upside the head. "Keep dreaming. Until you learn to comb your hair, it ain't happening."

"You'll sign too, right?" the girl asked Yuugi.

He turned red. "I…I guess…"

Anzu noticed the blush with disapproval.

"Here," the girl shoved the paper towards him. Unfortunately, in her excitement, her hand slipped, and the pencil's sharp tip scratched Yuugi's hand. Both the paper and the pencil fell to the ground. Instantly, the girl was thoroughly apologetic. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that! How terribly clumsy!" She scrambled to pick them up. "Oh dear…you'll still sign, though, won't you?"

"I don't believe this girl," muttered Anzu. Everyone politely pretended not to hear.

"I didn't hurt you badly, did I?" the girl chattered on.

Yuugi had sucked the cut immediately out of instinct. Now he pulled his finger out of his mouth and examined it. There was a definite scratch, and a little dark residue from the graphite, but it wasn't serious at all. "I'm all right," he said, gingerly taking the paper again. 

"See?" said Jounouchi, as Yuugi finished signing, "I knew it. All it took was a little publicity and girls go wild over me."

"Funny how success blinds the easily misled."

Jounouchi ignored Anzu's comment and grinned as the girl handed him the paper. He signed it messily, and handed it back. She smiled back at both of them. "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed, her long gold earrings bobbing as she practically skipped in place.

"S…sure…" mumbled Yuugi, still flustered.

"Any time," said Jounouchi, as pleased as ever.

She gave a quick, short bow and ran off, her black ponytail bobbing as she went.

Anzu glared at her retreating form. "The people these days…" she started furiously.

"Aw, she wasn't that bad," said Jounouchi.

"Kind of annoying, if you ask me," retorted Anzu.

Yuugi smiled. "Hey, let's not fight," he said. "How about everyone comes over for the rest of the afternoon and stays for dinner. We didn't have a proper meal last night."

"Sure!" agreed Honda and Jounouchi immediately.

"I thought you had chores," Anzu said suspiciously, looking at Jounouchi.

"The chores can wait some more," said Jounouchi lightly. "This is dinner we're talking about!"


	6. First the Power, Then the Blood

This evening, however, also did not go as planned. Yuugi seemed a little short of breath when they arrived home. He was pale as they raided the fridge. An hour before the meal, he started to feel a little dizzy. He declined to take any dinner. Jounouchi looked horrified. "No food? Are you sick or something???"

"Maybe," groaned Yuugi. "I'm going to bed."

"I hope you feel better," said Anzu, her face betraying her worried feelings. 

Yuugi flopped down into bed without changing. Something seemed vaguely wrong about it all. He had never gotten sick like this before. Sharp pains shot through his abdomen and he doubled over in silent agony. He was too tired to cry out, too tired to even think. Below, he could hear his friends cleaning up the dishes and getting ready to leave. Suddenly a cool breeze swept over his face. A quiet thought came to him, pointing out the fact that the window had not been open when he had come into the room. He rolled over to see a dark human shape silhouetted on the night sky. She dropped to the floor as silently as a cat and glided over to gaze down at him. 

Yuugi slowly recognized her as the girl from that afternoon. "Who…?" he began.  
She laughed softly and not at all nicely. "Perfect. So this is the great Mutou Yuugi, king of games and reincarnation of the ancient pharaoh. Not so great now that I've taken you down with a little bit of a certain poison I got in Egypt. It was on the pencil tip, in case you didn't guess. I didn't want to risk you fighting back. I had a bad enough time with the tomb robber."

"No…"

"Oh yes. This won't hurt…much…or maybe a lot… You can tell me in a minute."

Slowly she placed her hands with their palms facing each other, her right hand over her left. The air between them rippled and swirled until it had formed itself into a black dagger. A familiar eye-like symbol glowed momentarily on the hilt. She kept it in her right hand as her left snaked around Yuugi's Sennen puzzle. The puzzle glowed an angry red, as if resenting her touch, but she did not seem to be bothered with it. "First the power, then the blood," she murmured softly.

The tip of the dagger touched the center of the puzzle's own eye-like symbol. Burning pain raced through Yuugi's body, centering in on his heart. His vocal chords found their use at last, and a yell of anguish escaped. In a split second, she had clapped a hand over his mouth, muting his voice. "A little longer," she whispered.

Running footsteps outside the door, however, told them that Yuugi's cry had done its work and that she did not have even a little longer. The door burst open and his friends rushed in. "What is it, Yuugi?"

Yuugi was gasping, sweating, trying to hold on to consciousness. His fingers clutched the puzzle as his eyes went blank. Within his mind, he stumbled out of his soul room and into the narrow hall outside. His Yami's door opened a moment later, but instead of rushing out to help his other side, Yami merely collapsed into the hallway as well. His hand clutched at his chest and his breathing came with difficulty. "She…she's taken the power," he gasped out.

"I…I know," said Yuugi, sliding to the floor. 

"Can't…give…up…" Yami's eyes closed.

"Ya…mi…" Yuugi's world trembled before his eyes and went black. Both the light and the dark lay in the hall, deaf to the calls of their friends outside.


	7. The Enemy

Yuugi didn't know how long it had been since he passed out. All he knew was that eventually the agonizing darkness succumbed to a gleam of light. His eyes fluttered open to look at the worried faces above. "You're alive!" shouted Jounouchi joyously.

"Oh, thank goodness!" choked Anzu, tears of relief threatening to spill over. 

"He got you too?" asked a soft voice.

Yuugi turned a little in his bed to see Bakura sitting near the head. He was still a little paler than usual, but definitely perkier. Yuugi could see the gauze wrapped around his friend's torso where the collar dipped. The sweater, unfortunately had been torn and stained beyond repair, and Bakura apparently didn't have another one right on hand. "Yeah," said Yuugi, touching the puzzle. "Only, it wasn't a guy. It was a girl."

"WHAAAT??"

Yuugi nodded. "The girl we met after the hospital. It was her."

"No way!" Jounouchi nearly yelled. "But she was so…so…"

"Such a ditz," finished Anzu, irritation flaring in her eyes.

"Yeah."

"Just a very good actor," corrected Yuugi gravely. "I think this is definitely more than we were expecting."

"But she's only one person," came a voice from a shadowed corner of the room.

Yuugi sat up suddenly. "Kaiba!"

"Yeah," said Ryou. "Honda thought that since he had come to visit me in the hospital, he was probably going to get caught up in this anyway."

"And it seems as if you'll be needing help," said Kaiba stepping forward. "She obviously took you by surprise this time too."

"And she's fast. I didn't even see her leaving, and I was first in the room!" added Anzu. "She may be hard to catch."

"There's always some way to draw out and defeat the enemy," said Seto. "Sometimes, though, it means playing their game."

Jounouchi grinned. "Yeah! But we've got the Yu-Gi-Oh on our side! King of Games!"

"That's right!" agreed Honda. "He never loses."

Yuugi smiled. "Never. And he always seems to have an extra trick up his sleeve even when things look impossible!" His face went grave all of the sudden. "But Yami got hurt when the girl came…" he said, the traumatic memory rushing back.

"What do you mean?"

"Just before I blacked out, I think, I came out of my soul room. He came out of his too and collapsed in the hall. I'd better check on him."

Yuugi lapsed from outer-world consciousness. The others waited for a little, Ryou twisting his fingers nervously as he sat by the bed. "I fear he may have fallen prey to the same fate as my Yami," he said softly. Everyone wanted to shush him for that discomforting comment, but they all knew he had a case for his theory. Fortunately, he did not further pursue the subject. 

Yuugi opened his eyes and did not speak.

"Well?"

"He's there."

"Great!"

"But he's not responding. He just lies there in the hall, like he's sleeping, and he won't w-wake-" He choked up. "I'm scared," he whispered, pulling his knees up to his chin and closing his eyes hopelessly. There was an awful moment of quiet. 


	8. Dog Fight

Malik bowed his head. "Without the pharaoh, we are doomed."

"Thanks for the comfort," snapped Jounouchi.

"And since when did we depend on 'the All-Powerful Pharaoh?'" asked Seto irritably. "It's not like I can't do anything."

"Oh, right," seethed Jounouchi. "You always have to step in and get involved. You always have to try and be the hero. Well, what if we don't want you butting in? Didja think about that?"

Seto drew himself up to his full height, his eyes blazing. "I don't have to help you! I can walk out and leave you all to be picked off one by one! This is the thanks I get for offering a little assistance??"

"Yeah," sneered Jounouchi. "Thanks just like you gave us when we helped you out of your demented virtual game."

"I didn't need you poking your consciousnesses into my creation!"

"And we don't need you interfering with what happens to us."

"Jounouchi…" started Anzu worriedly.

"Listen to reason, dog," spat Seto, "you all need me. Now that Yami's gone, no one can even come close to rivaling me."

Jounouchi clenched his fists. "I bet you love that, when people have to depend on you. I bet you like letting them down just for kicks, don't you? Well, I'll show you who's a dog!"

Honda restrained him just in time. "This isn't going to help anything!" burst out Yuugi, scrambling from the bed to stand in front of his irate friend. "Please, guys, fighting will only help whoever's trying to tear us apart."

Jounouchi dropped his gaze. "You're right, Yuugi. I'm sorry. It's just…just that-" He broke off, glowering at Seto.

Seto folded his arms and returned the glare. 

Yuugi turned to him. "Kaiba, please, I admit we may need you. Plus, there's safety in numbers. Maybe for Mokuba's sake, you could join us."

Seto close his eyes indifferently. "For the time being. But make sure you keep _him_" he shot a glance at Jounouchi "on a tight leash."


	9. Newer New Menace

"Why you…"

Honda held Jounouchi back yet again. Anzu stood and faced Kaiba. "But you have to behave yourself too! Nothing gives you the right to treat Jounouchi like that!"

Seto looked as surprised as if she had just slapped him across the face. Apparently the multi-billionaire CEO had never been told off by a girl before. "I can do what I want," he retorted after a moment. 

She shrugged. "Just remember, there were times when you depended on Yuugi. Maybe you should use the chance now to repay some of that debt. You may need him again."

Seto glared at her. "I never need anyone."

"Please!" shouted Yuugi, trying to make himself heard. "Stop it! We have to figure out how we're going to deal with this new threat first, and then you can plot how to kill each other off."

Everyone was silent for a moment. "All right then," Jounouchi said softly. He glared at Kaiba. "We can finish this later."

*

They all gathered in the living room to discuss plans. "So did she say anything to you, Yuugi?" asked Kaiba, sitting casually in his chair, his cold eyes thoughtful. 

Yuugi nodded slowly. "Yeah…she knew Yami had been pharaoh…and she said something about taking power and then blood."

"Blood, huh? So she had a weapon, then?"

Yuugi delved through his clouded memories, concentrating hard. "Yeah…a blade, I think, and it had the eye symbol of a Sennen item."

Malik jumped up suddenly. "Impossible!! My family protected the pharaoh's memories since his time, and I KNOW for sure that there are only seven items: rod, puzzle, ring, tauk, ankh, scale, and eye. The only one that has a blade is the rod, and she could no way have the rod." He ran his fingers delicately down the object in question.

"Thank you for that, Malik," said Seto calmly. "You may sit down now."

Malik nodded and seated himself.

Seto continued his interrogation. "So, Yuugi, did she say anything else?"

Yuugi was silent, thinking. "She…she called Bakura 'tomb robber,' unless she's hurt someone else too. But she talked of him. She said he had put up a good fight." He paused. "She was really rather cocky," he added as an afterthought.

"No kidding," snorted Tea irritably. 

Jounouchi looked up from the piece of pie he had found in Yuugi's fridge. "So we stay in groups so she can't ambush us, and wait until she's lured out of hiding."

Seto looked annoyed with himself for not having thought of that sooner. Then another idea came to him. "No, we only have to watch Yuugi," he said.

"Why?"

"Well, didn't you hear? She said power and then blood. That's what she did to Bakura. She took the power of the ring, and some of his blood to finish it. With Yuugi, she only had the chance to take power, hence the reason his Yami is out cold. She'll be back for his blood. Just wait."

There was a silence. "Of course!" agreed Malik. "It all makes sense. But how are we going to make sure he's safe? For all we know, she could just need the slightest scratch to finish this. And without the power of the puzzle…"

"Well that was brilliant, but how do you propose to fix all these problems?"

"He doesn't," teased Jounouchi. "He just comes up with them and leaves them to the master genius Seto Kaiba."

"I didn't ask you, puppy dog."

Honda stopped Jounouchi from throwing the rest of his pie at Kaiba just in time.

Kaiba ignored him and turned to Yuugi. "So you," he said, "will be live bait." Nearly everyone objected to that, but no one could come up with a better suggestion, so it was merely decided that until all this blew over, Yuugi could not be left alone. 

"And how do you propose to do that?" challenged Jounouchi.

"We can take shifts. There will be someone with him twenty-four seven if we want any chance of stopping this new menace."

"Hey, that's what you guys called me when I first showed up, didn't you?" put in Malik.

"Yeah," agreed Honda, "but now we have a newer new menace."

"How is this relevant?" asked Seto, sounding suspiciously like their history teacher.

No one cared to comment further.


	10. Power Promised

After a week of constant "protection," Yuugi was about ready to snap. Sure, he appreciated his friends and their efforts to help him, but this was a little too much. If it was possible, Seto was both the worst and the best monitor. Good because he didn't always try to make cheerful conversation, but bad because you could _never_ get anything close to a conversation with him. He just seemed too cold. At least, Yuugi thought, he usually only came for the night shifts (because of work and school), sitting motionless in a dark corner of the room while Yuugi slept. If he had been company during the day, Yuugi was sure they both would have driven each other mad within the first few days. 

That conclusion was the most eventful thing to happen for two weeks. Most everyone started to relax a little. Maybe all their worries had been in vain. Only Seto remained rigidly vigilant, but then again, he was always like that. And Malik, although he no longer worried so much, continued to research with Isis through the family pasts for any evidence of a dagger-like Sennen item. 

It took ten days, but finally he found something. "Look at this, you guys," he said upon arriving at school, dropping his bag and pulling out several sheets of paper. "I found some carvings in one of Isis's dusty collections, so I snapped a few shots with a digital camera and printed them out. We may finally have some answers!"

They gathered around to scrutinize the hieroglyphs. 

"It says that the pharaoh locked the shadow games away in seven sacred and powerful items. But some with great power opposed the destruction of the games and plotted to stop the pharaoh. They were caught and" Malik coughed "disposed of, but their deaths released their anger and lust for power too close to the place of the final sealing place for the shadow games. Legend says that those emotions were accidentally sealed with the games and that when the power awakens once more, the magic will bring forth an eighth 'rogue item' that will seek out the rest of the bearers, take the power the pharaoh bestowed upon them, and bring about destruction unimaginable, avenging those he had killed."

Nobody said anything for a while. Then Jounouchi leaned back in his seat with a sigh. "So I guess if the world is ending, I don't need to do my Algebra homework."

*

The friends tightened security around Yuugi a little after that, much to the poor boy's dismay. They had, however, forgotten a crucial point. 

There were still other Sennen items.

They only realized this two days later, when Isis called. Malik had been found unconscious just off of Domino High's campus, the Sennen rod at his side and a neat ankh carved into his chest. "I thought there was no more power in the rod," said Yuugi.

"Well, apparently it still retained enough to lure out the eighth item and its bearer," said Bakura with a sigh. "It is, after all, still a Sennen item. I think we may be in trouble now."

*

It was on one of Seto's night shifts at Yuugi's house that the rogue item decided to make another appearance. Kaiba was sitting on a chair not to far from Yuugi's bed, listening to the smaller boy's rhythmic breathing and spinning his revolver idly on one finger. His eyes were still alert, though, constantly combing the room for any suspicious movements. It had been three hours since Yuugi had drifted off, but Seto still felt no traces of drowsiness. 

Suddenly, new, hushed breath came from his right. In one smooth motion, the safety clicked off and the revolver sat neatly in his right hand and pointed towards the sound. "Who's there?" he growled softly.

The intruder laughed softly and stepped closer to the open window so that by the streetlight's illumination, he could make out the shape of a girl-but he could not see her face. "Seto Kaiba," she said. "How nice to meet you face to face."

"What do you want?" he demanded, moving between her and Yuugi, not lowering the gun.

"Much, but doesn't everyone?"

"You're the one after the puzzle's power, aren't you? Step into the light and make no sudden moves unless you'd like to find yourself suddenly dead."

A suppressed snicker was the reply. "You have to live first to die, silly."

A tremble ran through Seto's steady hands. "What do you mean? What are you?"

"I am," she said softly, persuasively, "everything you ever wanted."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that. I've heard it too many times from shallow, meaningless girls just looking for a rich date. Listen, I'm not interested in these relationship tangles. They get in the way of business. And I have yet to meet a girl who understands that."

She shook her head, still remaining safely in the shadows. "No, Seto. I am truly what you wanted. I am a bitter, brooding hatred; but even more, I am power and victory. Tell me you never felt the loathing. Look me in the eye and tell me you never desired the supremacy to crush everything beneath you."

He lowered the revolver. Nothing had prepared him for an adversary like this. "Too many times," he said slowly, "have I been promised more power, only to be cheated of it at the last moment."

"By whom? Yuugi, perhaps?" She gave him a moment for her words to sink in. "Come, Seto Kaiba, let me destroy his power, his will to fight. Your domination will never be challenged again. No one else can even come close to rivaling you. And this…" She placed her palms inches apart, one above the other, and the dagger appeared in her hands. The eye symbol glowed red like a live coal in the dark. "This will be yours. I am no human; so you will also wield me, the hatred and power within us, as you like. You will be unstoppable. There is nothing more that you ever wanted."

"You're part of the rogue item yourself, aren't you?" 

She smirked, her soft lips curving coldly. "You always did have a reputation for being brilliant. So I trust you to make a choice fitting of your intelligence."


	11. Answer Me This

Seto bowed his head for a moment. He didn't see her glide towards him, dagger grasped in her hand, the flat of its blade resting softly against the smooth sienna skin of her forearm, waiting to be whipped out at a moment's notice. "Wait," he said suddenly. "What if there was something else I wanted?"

"Anything," she said, stopping to bide her time. 

"Can you give me happiness?"

"There is power at your fingertips, Seto Kaiba. What else is there?"

"Mokuba," he admitted painfully. "I promised him a good life. I want him to be happy, and I want to know that I will never have to lose him again."

She studied him for a moment, surprised by his question. "You will have power, Seto. What better could protect him? Come shed the fallible shell of humanity for the callings of fate." 

Seto raised the revolver again, a sneer glimmering in his eyes. "I don't believe in fate. Not when Isis Ishtar showed up with her lame prophesies and not now. You'll have to do better than that if you want to persuade me. But since you've made it clear that you intend to harm Yuugi, and I'm on guard duty tonight, I think I'll be getting rid of you now."

"Oh, but I think not."

*

Yuugi woke the next morning feeling lively and refreshed. He had heard no noise the night before, and he was finally growing accustomed to having someone sitting in the room when he slept. He looked around, but didn't see Kaiba. He shrugged, assuming the other had gone downstairs for a little breakfast. But when he slid from the bed, a sight he had not expected met his eyes. Lying at the foot of the bed was the dagger he had seen before, its eye symbol now dead and black. It was covered in blood, which spread and stained the carpet. Not a meter away, Seto lay facedown on the floor. 

"Kaiba!" Yuugi cried out, running to the other boy's side. 

Seto did not respond, even when Yuugi turned him onto his back. There was no wound to be seen, and no blood from Seto, but still he remained pale and cold. Yuugi immediately phoned the ambulance and the others. They arrived, Anzu still trying to run a brush through her hair and the others still finishing breakfast or pulling on jackets. The ambulance came a minute later, and they took Seto away.

The others came to the hospital much the way they had for Bakura, and gathered to listen to the diagnosis. Strangely enough, the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with Seto. "He seems all right; there aren't any cuts or anything and no of poison. His breathing and heartbeats are also fine. It's like he's sleeping, and the only thing really wrong is that he won't wake up," repeated Mokuba to the others as they walked to Seto's room. 

They stood around the bed, silently respectful, with no one quite sure of what to say. The constant beeping of the heart monitor reminded Yuugi suddenly of an evening with a similar scene. It seemed so long ago. Words seemed to form themselves in his mouth, but never took on a distinctive sound. Something tugged within him, urging him, but he didn't know what for. Footsteps echoed in his mind, and he turned to see his grandfather standing in the doorway. Behind him, Malik walked slowly and painfully into view, hunched slightly out of instinct to guard his not-yet-healed wounds. His face still wore half a smile, though. 

Sugoroku, however, spoke first. He held out the dagger towards Yuugi. "Here," he said. "I found this on your floor. Something told me to bring it to you rather than call the authorities. Is this what got Kaiba?"

Yuugi shook his head. "They didn't find any wounds."

Malik seated himself shakily into a chair, wincing as he straightened. "Take it, Yuugi. I sense something from it…maybe you don't, but I do."

His hand shaking slightly, Yuugi grasped the dagger by the handle. There was a sudden rush of light all around him, and everyone saw his face go blank much the way it did when he entered his soul room. He found himself in a large, round, white room. It had no doors or window, only walls, a ceiling, and a floor. The eye of Horus stared up at him, inlaid in gold beneath his feet. Seven glistening black cylinders stood at neat intervals against the wall with an eighth in the center of the room. Slowly, he walked toward the middle one. Upon close inspection, he realized there was a door on its side. He touched the ornate handle, and the door swung open without a sound. Nothing was inside except for a pool of crimson liquid on the floor. He realized with a shudder that it was blood and shut the door immediately. Bolstering his courage, he opened on of the cylinders against the wall. It was empty. So were the next three. 

But as he approached the fourth, a feeling washed over him. He couldn't quite identify it, but it was something like finding the end of a maze you have wandered hopelessly for hours. He touched the handle. 

Nothing happened.

He tugged on it with both hands. No response. Finally, he wrenched the handle and braced his feet against the cylinder. The door flew open with a bang and a rush of white smoke, and Yuugi tumbled over backwards. Standing, he gazed into the haze, and suddenly, a semi-transparent hand extended, groping, through the smoke. Before Yuugi could do anything, it was followed by a blue-clad arm, shoulder, and finally a familiar face.

"Yami?"


	12. Tomb Robber's Secret

The face coughed out a white smoke ring and blinked. "Yuugi?"

"Yami! You're okay!"

Yami blinked again slowly much the way he did on early mornings. "Wha…?" Light dawned on his face. "How'd I get here? Last I remember was that girl with the dagger…and…"

"We're inside the dagger, Yami," said Yuugi softly. "She took the power, remember? Your body's still back in the puzzle, but you've been in here for the past few weeks."

"But where is she?"

"I don't know. We think she's gone, but no one can be sure-at least not until Kaiba wakes up."

"Oh. Wait, what happened to Kaiba? I've really been out of it, haven't I?"

"I guess. Well, everyone knew she'd be back for my blood to finish the whole thing, so they'd been taking turns guarding me. Kaiba was doing an evening shift, and when I woke up, he was out cold on the floor with the dagger nearby. He hasn't woken up yet."

Yami looked worried. "I guess we'll have to deal with that once we get out of here. Let's check the other canisters first."

"Okay!" said Yuugi, happy to have his Yami back.

The next door took all of their strength combined to open. It may have had something to do with the sealant of dried blood, but whatever the reason, the door was _stuck. _ After three minutes of sweating, straining, and not a little muttered cursing from Yami, it finally moved a very little bit. Then suddenly, a foot kicked it open from the inside, nearly flattening Yami's face. "It's about time," came a voice that Yuugi recognized all too well.

Yami Bakura stepped nonchalantly out through the crimson smoke from his cylinder. He smirked when he saw the two figures before him. "Saving the world again, Pharaoh? Doesn't it ever get old?"

"Not really," shot back Yami, "although saving your worthless hide over and over again does."

"Actually, most of the time, I'm busy making you work for your own hide. And I do it very well, if I do say so myself."

Yami shook his head. "Whatever. Come, Yuugi, let's see what's in the last container."

Yami Bakura sat back and watched with amusement as the two worked at the last door. After seven minutes, he was kneeling on the floor, clutching his sides and laughing uncontrollably. After ten minutes, he couldn't even stand up anymore.

Yami finally lost his patience and stomped over to the hysterical boy. "If you think it's so funny, you can try and open the door yourself!"

Yami Bakura's laughter died down slowly, and he managed to stand. "Fine, I will."

Yuugi and Yami watched silently as Bakura walked over to the door, and pulled a few queer looking wire-like objects out of his pocket. He worked for a moment, hiding what he was doing with his body, and then the door swung open noiselessly and effortlessly. The spectators' jaws dropped.

"How…how'd you do that??"

Bakura winked and slipped the objects into his pocket. "Can't tell you. Tomb robber's secret."

"I should have known."

Inside was the glowing, glimmering form of the Sennen rod, almost fully transparent. They gazed at it for a moment. "I see," said Yuugi softly. "It's what's left of the power of the rod."

Bakura smirked ever so slightly. "In that case…" He stretched out his hand and grasped the shape. It moved rather sluggishly, almost insubstantial enough to go through his hand, but he slid it into the ring, which he had kept in his pocket ever since it had lost its cord. "Malik promised me the Sennen items, so I'll just be taking this." With a laugh, he leapt up through the ceiling of the dagger room to find his Hikari again. 

Yami massaged his temples. "He never learns. Well, Yuugi, shall we be going as well?"


	13. Revival

Everyone jumped when Yuugi snapped back to consciousness. "Are you okay?" asked Anzu quickly.

Yuugi nodded. "Just fine. And Yami's back! He was in the dagger and, know what? So was-"

He was suddenly cut off as Bakura shivered and staggered back against the wall. When he raised his head, his eyes had suddenly gone colder and more angular. Yami Bakura grinned at the others staring at him and stood straight, flexing his hands to get the feel of movement again. "It's good to be back," he said simply, and then let his Hikari take control again.

Yuugi, who had transformed to Yami when nobody was looking, shook his head. "I'll deal with him later," he muttered, turning away to face Kaiba. "So, does anyone have any idea how to wake him up?"

The others looked at him blankly. "Um…we were hoping you would know."

"Really now?" He seemed almost amused. "Well, then, I guess I'll have to try. But first, tell me exactly what happened."

They outlined everything from just after Yami's taking to finding Kaiba and rushing him to the hospital to releasing the trapped powers in the dagger. Yami nodded slowly, letting all the information sink in. Then he faced Kaiba, his eyes closed in thought, trying to recall from some hidden memory exactly what could counter something like this. 

Suddenly, there was a distinct reaction to his mental probing. Yami's eyes opened in surprise; he had met resistance. "What is it?" asked Malik.

Yami shook his head, not quite understanding. "He doesn't want me to help him."

"How can you tell?"

"I…I sensed it."

"Figures," muttered Jounouchi. "He never did." 

Mokuba looked worried. "So what do we do with him? He can't stay like that forever."

"If it were up to me, he would," said Jounouchi bluntly. "No offense," he added hastily upon receiving a glare from Mokuba.

*

After an hour, no one had made any progress, and one by one they left. Soon only Mokuba remained, sitting quietly on a chair next to his brother's still form. His head began nodding slowly and then dropped to the bed near Seto's. As evening fell, a nurse woke him gently. "Sorry, honey, but you've gotta go home now. Where are you parents?"

Mokuba yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Can't I stay? I want to stay with my big brother!"

"It's getting late. I'll call your parents to come and pick you up."

He brushed her hand off his shoulder. "Don' have parents, only Niisama. Please can't I stay?"

"No parents?"

"No," said Mokuba flatly. "They're dead."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Who takes care of you?"

"Niisama," said Mokuba, touching his brother's cool hand and turning his large eyes on the nurse. "He never abandons me, and I won't leave him."

She sighed. "Well, maybe I can let you stay just this once."

*

The next morning, just after the nurse had come in to check on the brothers, Seto shifted slightly, waking Mokuba. "Niisama?" he whispered groggily, trying to rub the sleepiness from his eyes.

Seto's eyes were still closed, but his hand was warmer than it had been before. 

"Niisama, can you hear me?"

Seto's eyes opened slightly and he gave a soft moan. Mokuba scrambled from his chair and grabbed the water pitcher on the table. In his excitement, he all but dumped its contents on his brother, but he managed a somewhat controlled trickle into Seto's half open mouth. The older Kaiba drank a little but his eyes remained blank and unseeing. 

"Niisama, talk to me," pleaded Mokuba.

"Mokuba," murmured Seto.

"Niisama, what happened?"

"So…tired…"

"No, Niisama! Stay awake!!"

"Power," mumbled Seto.

"What?"

"Power!" Seto sat bold upright, his eyes unnaturally wide. His hand snatched up the dagger, which Yuugi had left on the table, partially hidden by the few flowers the well-wishers had brought. The nurses hadn't seen it.

A chill ran through Mokuba. "Niisama! What's wrong?"

Seto slid from the bed and stood motionless in the middle of the room, looking about. "The pharaoh…must find the pharaoh," he hissed.

The dagger was glowing fiercely with an almost savage glory. Mokuba backed slowly away, his eyes full of fear and confusion. "You're not…my big brother." His eyes narrowed. "Who are you? What have you done with my Niisama?"


	14. Dagger Go Boom!

Seto looked down at Mokuba, his blank eyes glittering. Desperate, Mokuba lunged for the dagger in an attempt to wrench it from his brother's grasp. That object had to be the cause of it all.

Neither of them heard the footsteps in the hall.

Yuugi and his friends walked into the room just in time to see Seto step to the side to dodge Mokuba, grab his younger brother's forearm, and use the momentum to crash the smaller boy through the window. Mokuba hung doggedly onto his brother's wrist as he dangled several stories above the empty sidewalk below. 

"Kaiba!" came Yuugi's shocked voice from the doorway.

"Niisama," whimpered Mokuba, his knuckles turning white.

Seto's head snapped upwards, as if he had suddenly been shaken from sleep. "Wha…?" The dagger fell from his hand and onto the floor as his eyes closed and he lurched forward. In a moment, Jounouchi and Honda were helping the Kaiba brothers away from the window and back onto the safely solid floor. 

"Niisama," shouted Mokuba, running, arms outstretched, towards Seto. He was slumped over, pale to almost white, supported only by Honda.

Jounouchi held him back. "Stay back, Mokuba. In case you hadn't noticed, he just tried to kill you."

Mokuba shoved against the arms that blocked his way. When he found that this didn't do anything, he settled for kicking Jounouchi sharply in the shin. "No! That wasn't my brother! I want Niisama!!"

"Itai!! What are you talking about?"

Mokuba darted away and snatched up the dagger from the floor. It lay cold and innocent in his hands. "It was this. It started glowing, and he went…strange. He said something about power and finding the pharaoh. I just…just…" Tears glimmered in his eyes. "I just want my Niisama back."

Yuugi changed into Yami, who took the rogue item from Mokuba. "There has to be some way to defeat this power. It just seems to keep coming back." 

The nurse suddenly darted into the room. "What happened? I thought I heard-" Her mouth dropped open at the scene before her. 

"Um…the patient got out of bed," said Anzu, trying to come up with a good excuse.

"And…ano…the window broke," added Jounouchi, trying desperately to keep Mokuba from running to Seto, favor his nastily bruised shin, and do it inconspicuously at the same time. Yami was hiding the dagger behind his back.

"How did that happen?" she inquired, helping Honda drag Seto back onto the hospital bed. 

"Flying little kids," muttered Jounouchi.

"What???"

He smiled at her with what he hoped was an innocent sort of expression. "I didn't say anything."  
"Sorry about that," added in Mokuba. "I think it was an accident. We can have it repaired."

She nodded, still not quite convinced. "I'll have someone come and help clean up the floor and you." She eyed the cuts on Mokuba's face, shoulders, and hands from the glass. "You okay, kid?"

He nodded. "I'm fine. It's just from when the window broke."

She shook her head. "You kids have to be more careful. I'll be right back."

Seto's eyes blinked open as she left. "What happened?" he asked.

"Niisama!" Before Jounouchi could hold him back, Mokuba was at his brother's side. 

"I'm sorry, Mokuba," he said softly, covering his eyes with one hand. "Where's the dagger?"

"Yami has it," answered the youngster.

Seto nodded. "That's good. I…I don't want it-or all its foul promises."

There was a moment of silence. Suddenly, the dagger exploded into hundreds of tiny shards, little pieces pock marking the wall and making everyone duck. 

The nurse came racing back in. "What on earth was _that?_"

Everyone blinked silently at her, no one saying a word. "Um…dagger go boom," said Jounouchi, laughing sheepishly. Soon everyone had joined in, though nobody volunteered any information.

*

A week later, everyone had recovered at least passably, in body and mostly in spirit. Mokuba's scrapes had nearly disappeared. Bakura and Malik's wounds were turning into scars, and Yuugi was happy to have his Yami back. 

In fact, everyone was so relieved that they decided to throw a party, Jounouchi generously volunteering Yuugi's home for the event. They all gathered for dinner, each bringing some sort of food or drink, and all quite punctual.

Except for Malik, who was late. 

He took long enough to get everyone worried before roaring down the street on his motorcycle. "Guess what, everyone?" he asked breathlessly, rushing into the house. "I found something else in the carvings!"

"What?"

"The pharaoh once lost a game of senet to a slave!"

"You liar!" shouted Yami, snatching the photo of the carving and scrutinizing the inscriptions. "You did that on Photoshop!"

"Nah, the pharaoh just can't take the fact that he's not an invincible game player."

Seto was now examining the photo with interest. "Perhaps I should learn this game too…"

And soon everything was chaotically normal once again. 

Owari


End file.
